Chapter 97: Chapter 97 First
How could someone be faster than himself?
Guo Yuheng was also surprised.
His uncle was a primary level Pill Master at the Pill Yard, who often favored him, so although Guo did not know exactly which twenty types of medicinal herbs would be presented, he had recently reviewed the material on a hundred herbs many times.
However, actual specimens and illustrations ultimately differ, and besides, many herbs look very similar and possess strong deceptive characteristics, so he needed some time to properly identify them.
By now, he had only written down the names of five herbs, and that was the fastest progress among everyone.
—But why had this young man already finished?
Either someone had given him the answers, or he was just scribbling nonsense.
Hmm, it must be the latter!
Guo Yuheng nodded, his uncle had said that apart from him, there weren’t any other “inside recruits”.
He didn’t take it to heart, nor did he let it disturb his thoughts.
After all, being the first to hand in one’s exam didn’t necessarily mean ranking first.
An hour later, he finally finished, then checked his answers again before standing up to hand in his paper.
After submitting his paper, he looked over at Shi Hao, who was sitting on the side, yawning out of boredom.
Hmph, soon you will realize how wrong it is to steal my thunder, especially since you couldn’t really steal it, could you?
The top scorer in the assessment is the truly prestigious presence!
He walked over and sat next to Shi Hao, glancing at him with a sidelong look and snorting through his nose, clearly hostile.
Shi Hao was astonished. Does this guy have a problem?
Forget it, if he really starts spouting nonsense, just smashing him straightaway will do.
Filled with a sense of superiority, Guo Yuheng eyed Shi Hao from the corner of his eye, hmph, you might look a bit better, but when it comes to genuine talent and learning, can you compare to me?
But Shi Hao was really too handsome; the more Guo looked, the more uncomfortable he felt inside, a sourness in his heart that he couldn’t repress, causing him to involuntarily create some distance between them.
He was reasonably good-looking himself, and if he dressed up, he definitely could be considered handsome, but next to Shi Hao, the difference was more than slight.
It’s not bad to be unaware of the goods, but comparing goods is fearsome. It’s better he kept his distance from Shi Hao; being overshadowed in terms of looks was too agonizing.
Shi Hao glanced at him, this guy really does have a problem.
An hour later, whether or not everyone had finished, the answer sheets were collected uniformly, and then scoring began.
To maintain absolute fairness, the scorer was also brought in from the Pill Yard, although they were just a few apprentices; even without a unified set of answers, with their skills, they could easily produce the correct ones.
The three apprentices marked the papers together, quite efficiently.
Shortly after, all the answer sheets were graded.
Scores were calculated based on the number of correct answers, but if the scores were the same, then the one who submitted the paper first would rank higher.
“Now, announcing the top ten candidates,” said the middle-aged man.
“Tenth place, Han Xuan.”
“Ninth place, Qian Jingwu.”
“Third place, Kang Gao.”
Guo Yuheng wore a proud expression, unable to resist glancing at Shi Hao and said, “Kid, don’t be too arrogant!”
Looking so good and still showing off everywhere, aren’t you afraid of being hated?
“Second place, Guo Yuheng.”
Guo Yuheng was immediately dumbfounded. What’s going on, why was his name called already?
Shouldn’t he be the first place?
Could it be, he had answered one of the questions incorrectly?
Impossible, he had checked repeatedly; there was no way he could have answered any question incorrectly.
Then how could he possibly be ranked second?
He suddenly turned his head, looking towards Shi Hao.
“First place, Shi Hao.”
Sure enough, he saw Shi Hao reveal a slight smile.
Ah, Guo Yuheng immediately showed a look of anger.
This young man, clearly having secured first place, yet sat by letting him embarrass himself without pointing it out. Now, as the results were announced, it immediately made him suffer a resounding slap in the face.
Too detestable, too hateful!
Moreover, being so good-looking only added fuel to the fire burning in his heart.
You wait; I will definitely not let you off.
Shi Hao, however, was confused. Why was this guy’s facial expression so rich?
He must be seriously ill.
After the results were announced, the top ten were taken into White Cloud Sect.
White Cloud Sect was large, divided into the Martial Courtyard, Pill Yard, and Artefact Courtyard, with the Martial Courtyard being the largest and most populous while the Pill Yard and Artefact Courtyard had relatively fewer people.
As for the Artefact Courtyard, it was the department for crafting artefacts, like the Purple Crystal Cannon from Hua Yuan Nation, which was made by White Cloud Sect and required purchase at an astonishing price.
Thus, the wealth of the three big nations continually flowed into the White Cloud Sect.
The three courtyards were located on three separate peaks.
Shi Hao ascended Pill Peak and could not help showing a hint of joy.
The energy of heaven and earth here was indeed denser; how much efficiency it could improve would be known after some cultivation.
The ten of them first got their accommodations assigned then listened to the rules of the Pill Yard.
They still had to study, from Primary Level apprentices to intermediate, and high-level apprentices before potentially advancing further to become Pill Masters.
And once one became a Pill Master, their status was completely different.
There were too few people in the world who could perform alchemy, and since elixirs were in huge demand, the status of a Pill Master was exceedingly high.
For example, the dean of the Pill Yard, who relied solely on the Soul Casting Pill to achieve a step in Soul Nurturing, could point at someone at the ninth step of Soul Nurturing and scold them. Even a powerhouse from the Other Shore had to give him face and was reluctant to offend him.
It was precisely for this reason that the treatment for these apprentices was not bad; each had their own individual dormitory, but they shared one courtyard.
After settling in, Shi Hao went to fetch the big yellow dog.
He looked for a suitable place, then set up a Three-Star Spirit Gathering Array, but not at his residence.
He couldn’t just pick any place after arriving here.
That was a secret forest; no problem, Shi Hao would go there in the morning, and besides, he did not want to be seen when practicing the Tyrant Body Technique.
The next day, he began as usual with the Tyrant Body Technique, then followed by the Nine Revolutions Sky-Plundering Scripture.
This time, his strength had increased by a whopping six thousand jin!
Incredibly astonishing!
He got up very early, and after his cultivation was complete, the others were just getting out of bed; Shi Hao washed up and then went to the cafeteria to eat.
Of course, he also brought the big yellow dog.
After eating, it was time to study.
These apprentices had to memorize a large number of herbs with no room for error; only then could they assist the Pill Masters. Otherwise, what would it be like if you were asked to get tian qi but brought dong quai instead? Wouldn’t that be ridiculous?
The class had not only the ten apprentices who had just been recruited but also more than twenty “old” apprentices from last year and the year before; there were no more from earlier.
Because if there was no progress in three years, they only had the option of being kicked out.
“Pretty boy, when you see your senior brother, shouldn’t you come over and greet him promptly?” a young man around twenty shouted at Shi Hao.